Site Mobile Navigation

Gunmen Kidnap American Aid Worker in Niger and Kill 2

BAMAKO, Mali — Gunmen stormed the house of a longtime American aid worker in Niger, killing two people before fleeing with the man toward the border with Mali, the authorities said Saturday.

The American, Jeffery Woodke, who works for a local nongovernment organization, was taken from his home in Abalak by a group of armed men in a pickup truck, a statement from the Interior Ministry said.

It is believed to be the first time an American citizen has been abducted in the Sahel region of Africa, where Al Qaeda and criminal gangs have targeted French nationals and other Europeans for more than a decade, demanding millions of dollars in ransom.

"We are aware of reports of the kidnapping of a U.S. citizen in Niger,” a State Department official said after the abduction late Friday. “The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas."

A number of foreigners remain hostage in the Sahel region, including a Swiss woman and a South African-British dual national, both seized in separate attacks in Timbuktu, Mali. In Burkina Faso, an Australian doctor and a Romanian man are being held captive.

A version of this list appears in print on October 16, 2016, on Page A12 of the New York edition with the headline: Niger Reports Kidnapping Of American. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe